--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the best stories always end up…" description: "\"I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/stephen-king-13_character_i-think-the-best-stories-always-end-up-b_2443094.jpg" --- # I think the best stories always end up being about the… ![“I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/stephen-king-13_character_i-think-the-best-stories-always-end-up-b_2443094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/stephen-king-13_character_i-think-the-best-stories-always-end-up-b_2443094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/03a/stephen-king-13_character_i-think-the-best-stories-always-end-up-b_2443094.jpg) > “I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great stories focus on character development rather than plot events, emphasizing human depth over action. **In simple terms:** Stories are about people, not events. Key Takeaway Prioritize character in storytelling. Themes character storytelling literature human nature narrative Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing novels - teaching creative writing - analyzing films Key Concepts character arcs psychological depth empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does character shape a story's impact? - What balance between plot and character feels right? A Different Perspective Plot-driven stories can also be compelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-stories/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-driven/) [Driven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driven/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Stories End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-end/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I'm probably more character-driven than plot-driven. It's rare for me to attach myself to an idea for a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-soderbergh/i-m-probably-more-character-driven-than-plot-driven-it-s-rare-for-me/) [Steven Soderbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-soderbergh/) > [I've always liked game shows - the competitive aspect and the character-driven personalities you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/i-ve-always-liked-game-shows-the-competitive-aspect-and-the-character/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [I'm character-driven. If it's a great character and something different; because I find that a lot of the times you do get pigeon-holed, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-cook/i-m-character-driven-if-it-s-a-great-character-and-something/) [A. J. Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-cook/) > [Maybe there is a sort of a sweet middle ground there, where you can do something with something with like 20 to 40 million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/maybe-there-is-a-sort-of-a-sweet-middle-ground-there-where-you-can-do/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) > [As we've said, it's not a coincidence that Fear Itself, Schism, and other big stories end at the same time. This is the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brevoort/as-we-ve-said-it-s-not-a-coincidence-that-fear-itself-schism-and/) [Tom Brevoort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brevoort/) > [“Not all stories end happily nor tragically. Most of them just need to be continued.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prex-j-d-v-ybasco/not-all-stories-end-happily-nor-tragically-most-of-them-just-need-to/) [Prex J.D.V. Ybasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prex-j-d-v-ybasco/) > [While love stories at the end of the day, honestly speaking, do not vary a lot in their plots, it is their treatment that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-tej/while-love-stories-at-the-end-of-the-day-honestly-speaking-do-not/) [Varun Tej](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-tej/) > [We're all stories, in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/we-re-all-stories-in-the-end/) [Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/) > [“There was no possibility of redemption in his tale. There wasn’t an iota of hope in it. But the truth is, life goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruni-kashyap/there-was-no-possibility-of-redemption-in-his-tale-there-wasn-t-an/) [Aruni Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruni-kashyap/) > [I'll be a story in your head. That's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh? 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The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. 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You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. 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